The popular Bathroom Academy, managed for the industry by the Bathroom Manufacturers Association, has received a major upgrade and will be relaunched at KBB Birmingham in March 2016.

The Bathroom Academy has been under review by experts from the bathroom industry for almost 12 months. Many man-hours have been dedicated to make the eLearning website bang up-to-date and its fresh new look brightens the easily navigable site.

The ever popular Bathroom Guides have been refreshed with new images, graphics and information and an all-new series of business seminars have been introduced for 2016.

"It's taken quite a while" says Bathroom Academy boss Yvonne Orgill. "But we've now completely rebuilt the Academy website. We have also revised and updated the downloadable bathroom guides and introduced new regular one-to-one training courses in partnership with our provider, Strategic Professionals.

We are delighted to be using our stand at KBB to launch the exciting new package. We are in Hall 20 on Stand A58, and we'd be delighted to see you."

The Bathroom Academy is a unique learning platform for the bathroom industry. It now offers both web-based and personal learning and its modules are used in all sectors of the industry, and at all levels.

For 2016 a new 'Industry Guide on Wet Rooms' has been added to the line-up of 10 modules. Most of the guides are free to download and cover a variety of subjects about bathroom products, their installation and relevant business practice.

Additionally, a new range of classroom-style 'business skills' courses were rolled out at the beginning of the year. The first course in mid-January received great feedback from its six delegates and was a successful start to the programme.

The course was delivered by Sharon Southcott of Strategic Professionals. Sharon is an experienced Chartered Institute of Marketing tutor who has worked in the bathroom sector developing marketing strategy for many years.

The course helped delegates appreciate the importance of marketing planning and explained the various stages of the plan. Delegates were guided through the environmental audit in the context of the bathroom sector as well as considerations given to implementation and measurement of the marketing plan. There was a vibrant atmosphere throughout the day and some sharing of best practice in the group work.

Lisa Douglas, customer service manager at Neoperl UK, comment: "Neoperl were happy to support and attend the first Academy course in marketing planning. Interesting and informative, it reiterated the importance of marketing planning in supporting our organisational objectives."

A full calendar of courses is planned for the year and bespoke courses are also offered for companies that prefer to have them delivered at their own premises.

Beginners find the Academy an incredibly helpful start to fully understanding the rather tricky jargon surrounding bathroom products, their features and benefits and their marketing. More experienced people use the downloadable guides and training courses to refresh their knowledge of the rapidly changing industry. The Academy is available to everyone.

"The Bathroom Academy plays a very important role in our industry," comments Yvonne. "It is open to all, not just the BMA membership. This new upgrade will further embed the Academy into our industry's culture."

The website will be viewable prior to its formal launch at the KBB Exhibition, the UK's largest gathering of the world's most exciting KBB brands. The show takes place from 6th to 9th March at the National Exhibition Centre Birmingham.